Fight With Me
by ashesxtoxashes
Summary: No tingle, Elizabeth realized, he's telling the truth, or atleast thinks he is. "I can easily keep under someone's radar, especially if it's just one man." "We found you." "An unfortunate mishap." The next words out of Nick Fury's mouth made Elizabeth's heart shudder. "Loki is the reason why your son was killed in New Mexico." Steve/OC. [Slight Heroes Crossover.]
1. Prologue: The File

**Very Important:**  
Okay, so hi there, I guess. This is an idea that's been floating in my head since I saw The Avengers. This is me, more or less, testing the waters on here. I've decided to post this and let readers decide whether or not I should continue on with it. For anyone that has ever watched Heroes or Alphas, you might recognize a couple things from both shows. My OC was originally created for a Heroes fanfic, but that isn't going anywhere for me. She has a mind of her own, she goes wherever she wants to, and she decided the Marvel Universe would be her temporary home.  
Anyway, depending on the response I get from this, I'll decide whether or not I'm wasting my time. And for anyone reading, I hope you enjoy it, even though there isn't much to enjoy. If this does get continued, the chapters will be longer. I promise. By the way, this is going to be set in 2011, just a couple months after Captain America woke up.  
**Disclaimer:** I, ashesxtoxashes do not own Marvel, or any other recognizable mentions that may be put into this creation of fiction. I only own Elizabeth and Marley, both of whom will come in later.

* * *

_**STRATEGIC HOMELAND INTERVENTION ENFORCEMENT AND LOGISTICS DIVISION CHARACTER PROFILE**_

**_NAME__: MERRIT, ELIZABETH TAELOR__  
DATE OF BIRTH__: SEPTEMBER 21, 1986; 25 YEARS OF AGE  
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION__: 170 centimeters; 61 KILOGRAMS. MEDIUM BROWN HAIR SHOULDER BLADE LENGTH, GREEN EYES, LIGHT OLIVE SKIN TONE.  
__STATUS__: MUTANT._**

**_TARGET HAS COLLECTED MULTIPLE MUTANT POWERS SINCE ORIGINAL MANIFESTATION. MANIFESTED POWER THUS FAR UNKNOWN. METHOD OF POWER COLLECTION ALSO UNKNOWN; POSSIBLY A POWER STEALING MUTATION. KNOWN POWERS ARE AS LISTED:_**

_**TELEKINESIS**__**: THE POWER TO MENTALLY MOVE OBJECTS.  
**__**TELEPATHY**__**: THE POWER TO READ OTHER'S THOUGHTS.  
**__**TECHNOPATHY**__**: MANIPULATION OF TECHNOLOGY.  
**__**PHOTOKINESIS**__**: MANIPULATION OF LIGHT PARTICLES.  
**__**ELECTROKINESIS**__**: MANIPULATION OF ELECTRICITY.  
**__**SPONTANEOUS CELLULAR REGENERATION**__**: MANIPULATION OF BODILY CELLS IN ORDER TO HEAL INSTANTLY FROM ANY WOUND.  
**__**ACOUSTOKINESIS**__**: MANIPULATION OF SOUND WAVES.  
**__**HYPER INDUCTION**__**: MANIPULATION OF WILLPOWER IN OTHERS.  
**__**ENHANCED PHYSICAL STR**__**ENG**__**T**__**H**__**: NO DESCRIPTION NECESSARY.  
**__**CLAIRVOYANCE**__**: THE POWER TO SEE/KNOW WHAT OTHERS CANNOT/DO NOT. EXTENT OF THIS POWER IS UNKNOWN.  
**__**HYDROKINESIS**__**: MANIPULATION OF WATER BASED SUBSTANCES.**_

_**TARGET MAY HAVE MORE POWERS THAT HAVE YET TO BE DISCOVERED.  
TARGET OWNS A VARIETY OF HOUSING COMPLEXES AS WELL AS A SMALL BAKERY, ADDRESSES ON PAGE THREE. EXTRACTION NEAR IMPOSSIBLE. TARGET ALSO HAS AN OFFSPRING SHOWING SIGNS OF MUTATION. TARGET IS TO BE CONSIDERED ARMED AND DANGEROUS; STUDY FROM AFAR. **__**DO NOT ENGAGE**__**.**_

Agent Phil Coulson looked up from the manila folder containing a very long character profile on some random woman. Accompanying the file was a photo of a rather attractive woman identical to the description. "Sir?" Agent Coulson, an older Caucasian man in a black suit, questioned his boss; an intimidating African man with an eye patch over his left eye, Nicholas Fury was his name.  
"This woman is potentially dangerous." Fury told the agent, turning away from said agent. "She's now on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar." Agent Coulson looked back down to the file; Elizabeth Merrit's description was brief, however, a full page was dedicated to the buildings she owned, and two more pages gave a list of names believed to have been murdered by her. One of those names belonged to her husband, Gabriel Grey.  
A single address caught Agent Coulson's eye. "Sir, she owns the building we put Captain Rogers in." Agent Coulson's childhood hero lives in the very same building that a potential serial killer owns and lives in. The given address for this woman happened to be right across the hall from the captain.  
"That she does." Fury mused. "It'll be easier to keep an eye on the both of them now."  
The only thought going through Agent Coulson's mind right then was _Director Fury has gone crazy..._


	2. Chapter 1: Sleepless Night

_Hey everyone! Okay, so I'm back. This is the first actual chapter. It's not a very exciting one, but the first few of a new story should be more about background information about characters or basic plot builders in my opinion. It'll pick up though, because drama makes the Earth go round.  
I'm well aware that some people think that Elizabeth is just way too powerful and that she'll outshine the rest of the Avengers should she become one, but this is all for good reason. As of right now, Elizabeth will not be gaining anymore abilities and all will be explained. So if you guys'll stick around for atleast five chapters and still think she's a God-Mode Mary Sue character, I'll try my best to fix it. Plus, I never said she'd be **joining **the Avengers, all I said was that Fury would realize that he needs her help. I'm about halfway through with the second chapter, and I know I'll finish it before I get to five reviews total, but I decided that as long as I'm halfway through with the third chapter by the time I get four more reviews, I'll try to post the second chapter immediately. There are going to be Halloween mentions in the next chapter, and so is Marley. I don't know if that's that much of an incentive to ya'll, buuuuut, I figure I'd give it a try._

**Disclaimer: **_I, ashesxtoxashes, do not, and will never, own any Marvel related mentions, nor anything from Heroes - which happens to be quite a bit of Elizabeth's past -. I own Elizabeth Merrit, Marleen "Marley" Merrit, and canine Thor. Not Norse God of Thunder Thor, but the Rottweiler._

* * *

Growling in frustration from tossing and turning all night, Elizabeth Merrit, formerly Grey, threw back the dark purple comforter covering her body and stood from the queen sized bed inhabiting her bedroom. Glancing at the clock on her mahogany nightstand only made her groan; **3:29 a.m.** The brunette knew exactly what kept her up; the noises of the city – bearable to normal people; magnified to her ears – mixed with the nightmares she'd been experiencing lately, the combination resulted in sleeplessness. Elizabeth was proud to say she wasn't a nosy landlady by any means, but with her enhanced hearing, no tenant of hers could keep secrets from her. More often than not, Elizabeth would create a sound barrier around her ears, not only to prevent migraines, but to atleast try to give the building's occupants the privacy they deserved. That method, however, requiring concentration, was useless when she slept. Sighing, she left her room and entered the rest of the apartment, walking barefoot into the updated, partially open kitchen. Noticing the lift of a canine head in the living room, Elizabeth flicked a light on so the large dog wouldn't bark.

"It's only me Thor." She told the black and rust colored animal, causing him to huff and lay back down. The green eyed woman grabbed a small tea kettle from a low cabinet and began the process of making herbal tea, while memories of how she had come across the two-year old Rottweiler flooded her mind. The poor puppy had been abandoned and ventured into her newly opened bakery just short of two years ago. Elizabeth's daughter, Marley, absolutely adored Thor, and even suggested that the puppy's bark sounded like thunder rolling; inspiring the name Thor. Even as a pup his bark was fierce, which is why the brunette needed to make sure he didn't. The Rottweiler could probably wake the entire building if he wanted to.

With her cup of tea made, Elizabeth found her way to the living room and settled on the beige sofa, Thor soon joined her resting his head on her folded legs. Sighing softly again, the woman rubbed her companion's furry head and listened to the building. Thankfully, most of the noise was outside, few tenants got up for work this early and all others were asleep, except for one. The new man across the hall wasn't asleep; he was down on the first floor in the old boxing gym. Every night he was down there punching away since he moved in a couple months back. The two would occasionally pass each other in the halls, but no real communication was ever exchanged between them. Glancing at the cable box under the wall mounted television elicited another soft sigh from her lips; **3:42 a.m.** Moving Thor's large head, Elizabeth got to her feet and walked to her kitchen once again. Pulling a blue glass plate from a cabinet over her head, Elizabeth removed the lid to a storage bowl on the marble countertop. Reaching into said bowl, she grabbed a handful of its contents – gingerbread cookies – and placed the man-shaped goodies on the plate. After replacing the sealing lid, she moved to her stainless steel refrigerator, grabbing two bottled waters.

"Thor, I'll be back in a little bit. Go lay with Marmar." As soon as the command left her mouth, the canine was getting up and walking off down the hallway, on his way to the three year old's room. Elizabeth grabbed her keys and jacket, slipping on a pair of black ballet flats before grabbing the plate of cookies and the waters. After confirming Thor was in her daughter's bedroom, she left the apartment, locking the door behind her. Making her way to the end of the hall where the elevators were located, the brunette placed her keys in the pocket of her jacket.

The ride to the ground floor was a short one, Elizabeth could still hear the man's punches over the classical music wafting in the elevator. Once the doors opened, she walked out into the lobby.

"Ms. Merrit." The building's night receptionist, for lack of a better term, called out. "What are you doing down here at this time of night?" The young man's name was Timothy, a sweet kid, only nineteen. Elizabeth knew his mother, and his job was helping pay for college. Timothy had short black hair and brown eyes, with a very curious personality.

"This lovely young man in 513 is having trouble sleeping. I figured a gingerbread man might help." Holding the plate in view, she continued. "Would you like one, Timothy?" His eyes lit up as he grabbed a man cookie.

"Thank you very much Ms. Merrit." Smiling, Elizabeth bade him goodnight and continued down to the old gym. Before reaching the door leading into said gym, the woman couldn't help but hear Timothy murmur about the brunette being the nicest woman he'd ever met.

Walking through the door, Elizabeth paused, watching the blonde man go at the punching bag. _He sure does take that seriously._ The emotions radiating off him reminded the woman of her past. She didn't know much about the man in front of her, just what was on his application. From their encounters, she learned that he was chivalrous and a little shy. "You know, normal people are usually sleeping right now." Elizabeth's statement made him stop and turn to her when it hit his ears.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I-uh, I couldn't sleep…" His cheeks tinted pink, from embarrassment Elizabeth would guess.

"Yeah," she walked the rest of the way into the gym. "I know that feeling." A few feet away from him, she stopped. "You always come down here, ever since you moved in. I thought you might like some company." He smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes.

"I appreciate that. But…how did you know I come down here?"

"It's my job to know what goes on in my building." Elizabeth shrugged. "Besides, there are security cameras in the lobby. They catch you coming down every night."

"Oh.." Was his reply before his attention was turned to the plate in Elizabeth's hand. "What are those?"

"Gingerbread cookies. Want one?" She offered holding one up; the waters now tucked in her arm. "They're super good, I know, I made them." Tentatively, he grabbed the cookie and Elizabeth grabbed one for herself. The blonde offered up a 'thank you' while Elizabeth walked over to a long bench placed out of the way, taking a bite from the head of her cookie and setting the plate down. Taking a small bite of his own edible tiny man, his blue eyes widened. "So you live across the hall from me and we've never actually officially met." She held her hand out as he walked toward her. "I'm Elizabeth Merrit." Grabbing her hand with his own in a firm handshake, he smiled a real smile.  
"Steve Rogers, Ma'am."

* * *

It had only been a couple of months since Steve woke up in this same but completely different world, though personally, it felt like an eternity. Agents from S.H.I.E.L.D. had put him up in an apartment building in Brooklyn and left him alone for the most part. The blonde man had been rather impressed that the ten story building had a boxing gym that could have been from the forties. Every night, Steve would go down and let his emotions out on a bag. His memories would always flood his mind with the war, the bombs, the numerous dead soldiers; it became too much sometimes. So he released his anger, frustration, and confusion on the punching bags. When he first found the gym, there were a few punching bags in the locker room, and he'd gone through those in no time. _Eventually,_ he had thought to himself, _I'll have to replace those._ Tonight had been no different than any other night, that is, until he heard a woman's voice.

"You know, normal people are usually sleeping right now." Steve stopped, looking in the direction she was. No one ever came to the gym; that was one of the reasons why Steve liked it so much. But right there she was. It was _her_, his neighbor. She was a beautiful woman with her long curly brown hair and her piercing green eyes. He didn't see her around very often, but they've been known to run into each other. Her attire almost matched his, both suitable for sleep, with few additions on her part. She wore light blue sweatpants, a gray tank top, a black jacket-no doubt an addition for being outside her apartment-, and some form of casual ballet shoe. When he saw her, she was usually dressed professionally; it didn't matter, she still took his breath away. This female was the kind that Steve Rogers had trouble talking to; Captain America would have no such problem.

_I'm not exactly normal._ He wanted to tell her, instead he settled on a safer approach. "Oh, I'm sorry. I-uh, I couldn't sleep…" Steve could feel his face warm up; he still faced his inability to speak to women like her.

"Yeah," she moved into the gym toward him. "I know that feeling." When she reached him, she stopped a few feet away. "You always come down here, ever since you moved in. I thought you might like some company." Steve forced a smile. The notion was sweet, but he would rather not have to worry about keeping his secret from her, which would be tremendously easier if he weren't in her company.

"I appreciate that." And he did, but he was an outsider in this time, it would be difficult to relate to others. Instead of asking her to leave, he once again took the safe route. "But…how did you know I come down here?" Plus he was curious. Maybe Director Fury sent her to keep an eye on him…

"It's my job to know what goes on in my building." So she owns it, she's his neighbor **and **landlord-or, landlady… "Besides, there are security cameras in the lobby. They catch you coming down here every night." Right, he had forgotten about the whole 'super advanced technology' thing.

"Oh.." He suddenly noticed she was holding a plate. "What are those?" _They look like the gingerbread men Mom used to make._

"Gingerbread cookies. Want one?" She responded, holding one out to him. "They're super good, I know, I made them." Almost hesitantly, Steve grabbed the little man shaped cookie; when he did, she took one from the plate.

"Thank you." He told her while she started walking to the elongated bench he had his gym bag on. She sat the plate down and bit into her cookie. Following her example, Steve took a small bite and felt like his mouth was on Cloud Nine. His eyes widened, only able to think one thought: _These cookies are amazing. Better than Mom's. I'm sorry Mom, I love you, but they are so good._

"So you live across the hall from me and we've never actually officially met." Steve walked closer to her and she held out her hand. "I'm Elizabeth Merrit." The blonde smiled for real this time and shook her hand; she had a strong grip for such a delicate looking woman.

"Steve Rogers, Ma'am."


	3. Chapter 2: Let's Have Breakfast

_Okay so here is the second chapter, not much going on, a couple memories from Elizabeth, a small demonstration of her Telekinesis, it'll start getting good, I promise. I want to thank everyone that has added me to their follows and favorites and to AdonCa and Rosalie1316 for reviewing already._

**Disclaimer:** _I, ashesxtoxashes, do not own anything affiliated with Marvel. Nor do I own any characters from Heroes - one does show up in a memory. I only own Elizabeth, Marley, and the Rottweiler named Thor._

* * *

Talking to Steve was actually fairly easy, he was a sincere person. Elizabeth hadn't felt one tingle in the back of her head, she found it refreshing. And although he seemed a little closed off at first, he soon opened up; occasionally stumbling over words. The brunette learned some things about the tall blonde man; he was born and raised in Brooklyn and he enlisted in the Army. When Steve told her that, she saluted him with a grin on her face which made the man chuckle and reply with an 'an ease soldier'. With every bit of information she learned about Steve, she told him the same kind about her. It relieved Elizabeth to know that he wasn't after her because of what she could do. She didn't like to use her abilities if she didn't need to. Elizabeth couldn't help but think back to all the running she had done in the past, and the reason she had to run in the first place. Memories flashed past her, and for a moment, she got lost in one.

* * *

_In a sealed room of three white concrete walls and a forth wall with a large observation window next to a steel door leading to a rectangular room with another door sat a younger version of Elizabeth. She sat on a concrete slab they insisted was a bed, dressed in a dingy white pair of pants and tank top. The brunette lost count of how long she had been locked up in that very room. With her legs crossed, Elizabeth attempted to curl into herself, still feeling the throbbing sting in her fingertips from their latest set of tests. What was worse though, was the excruciatingly painful screams of the woman she'd been forced to touch; the woman didn't deserve that kind of treatment. The farthest door opened and in walked a man that Elizabeth was all too familiar with. He was in his forties and had brown hair and horn-rimmed glasses. This man was cold and calculating, Elizabeth learned that early in on her capture. He had no problem with hurting people like her; he was __**heartless**__. After a few seconds the light in her cell flicked on, blinding the nineteen year old.  
_

_"What now?" Elizabeth's voice was scratchy, her vocal chords straining to create sound. "Your sick experiments are over for today." _**Can't you just leave me alone?**_ She wanted to voice her thought, but her throat felt like it was on fire.  
_

_"It's a shame you're what you are Miss Merrit, you seem like a smart young woman. So full of life; life that you'll most likely spend right here until the day you die." That thought had crossed Elizabeth's mind more than once.  
_

_"What do you want from me?"  
_

_"Information." He said simply. "Information on Dr. Suresh's research and whatever you may know about Sylar."_

* * *

The brunette was snapped out of her mind to a concerned look on Steve's face. He had asked her a question. "I-I'm sorry.." She stuttered. "What was that?"

"Are you alright? You looked like you were in pain." All shyness about Steve had disappeared when his new company had developed the less than pleasant expression; it had to be the soldier in him.

"Uhm, yeah. Yes. I'm fine, thank you." Elizabeth looked down at her wrist. Normally, a delicate rectangular diamond watch rested on the limb. "But it's getting either really late, or really early. I should get back to my apartment." Standing from the bench, Elizabeth grabbed the now empty plate and what was left of her water. Sometime during their conversation, the brunette gave one bottle to the blonde and took the other for herself.

"I'll walk you back." Steve gathered his gym bag and followed his neighbor out of the boxing gym.  
The elevator ride was silent save for the Mozart number playing softly through the speakers. When the doors dinged open, Steve allowed Elizabeth out first, following suit; the only sound in the hall being the two sets of footsteps. Elizabeth stopped in front of her door, fishing her keys from her pocket; Steve did the same before turning to the woman. "Thank you." When she turned to face him, he elaborated. "For keeping me company, for the cookies; I appreciate the thought." Elizabeth smiled, opening her door.

"It's no problem." She paused, debating whether she should continue. "You don't live with anyone, nobody comes over either. I know how it feels to be alone. I'm not saying that you are, but it isn't a feeling I'd wish on anybody. Goodnight Mr. Rogers." Steve stood there for a moment after she walked into her home, her words ringing in his head.

_"I know how it feels to be alone…it isn't a feeling I'd wish on anybody."_ What exactly had she gone through?

After she closed the door, Elizabeth leaned against the slab of wood. Squeezing her eyes shut, she couldn't help but believe she'd said too much. The seconds ticked by, seeming like an eternity to the brunette, until she heard Steve walk into his own apartment. When he did, Elizabeth slid down the door to a sitting position, her legs pressing against her chest. Placing her forehead on her bent knees, she groaned and wrapped her arms around her head with her fingers interlacing behind her. _What the hell is wrong with you!? _She berated herself. _If he gets curious and does any digging, he'll find everything you've worked so hard to put behind you, to forget. He can uproot your entire life! You need to be more careful!_  
She had to move on, there was nothing she could do about it now; she had already opened her big mouth. Slowly, Elizabeth got to her feet, locked her door, and walked into the kitchen, shedding her jacket and dropping it on the floor. The petite woman placed the glass plate carefully into the left side of her double sink and turned off the light she had left on before heading back into her bedroom. Lifting her gaze to check the time once again left Elizabeth shocked; **5:13 a.m**. Had she been gone that long? It hadn't felt like it. Crawling onto her bed, Elizabeth sighed and plopped onto her stomach; she had just over an hour to get some rest before a certain three year old made an appearance and insisted it was time to wake up. Closing her green eyes, the brunette curled around her pillow, willing her sensitive hearing to dim enough for her the sleep peacefully and properly. No such luck, however, because that power didn't work that way. It was one of three she had acquired that wasn't consciously controllable. A light sleep-like state was allotted to her, seemingly as a compromise. And she'd take it, no questions, no hesitations.

Like every morning when 6:34 a.m. came around, a just under three foot tall child with shoulder-length curly brown hair and bright green eyes wandered from her toddler bed through her home, and to her mommy's large bed while carrying her favorite teddy bear. After having a slight altercation with the height of the bed, Marleen Andrea Grey was able to pull herself up and began the process of shaking her mother awake. "Mm, Marley, baby, Mommy's really tired." Elizabeth mumbled from her pillow. "Why don't you lay with me for an hour?"

"It's time to wake up Mommy. We haff ta get _costuuuumes_!" The three year old bounced excitedly.  
Forcing herself up, Elizabeth looked at her mini self silently wishing she was still sleeping. Halloween was fast approaching and Marley had yet to decide what she wanted to dress up as.

"Do you know what you want to be for Halloween this year?"

"Uh-huh! I wanna be Captain America!" Elizabeth deadpanned. Captain America?

"Marley, Captain America costumes are for little boys. Don't you want to have a little girl's costume?" The toddler shook her head, brunette curls flying.

"No. I wanna be Captain America." Elizabeth sighed, other little girls wanted to be princesses or cute animals, but not Marley, she wanted to be a 'superhero' from the 1940s. _Just my luck,_ she thought, _she wants to be Noah's idol. _Before she had a chance to reply to the green-eyed girl, Marley clasped her hands together and gave her mother the best and cutest puppy dog eyes she could manage. "Please Mommy? Pleeeeeeeaaaaseeeee?"

"I'll make you a deal Munchkin, if we go look at costumes today and you still want to be Captain America, I'll make the costume with no complaints. Okay?" Marley's eyes lit up as she threw her arms around Elizabeth's neck.

"Okie dokie!"

Hearing a whine at the bedroom door, Elizabeth looked through the mop of brown hair currently in her face, and saw her favorite canine. Hoisting herself up, Elizabeth wrapped her arms around the child still latched onto her front, and made her way to the room's exit. "Come on Thor, let's let you go potty." Elizabeth walked through her living room to the small balcony she set up for her four-legged friend. With no available yard, the brunette had laid down a patch of grass on the entire balcony for the Rottweiler to be able to do his business. It was private enough, with a tall wooden fence preventing people from peeking in, and a retractable rain cover above. She didn't need the balcony anyway. Thor all but rushed out the open door while Elizabeth turned back and travelled to her kitchen. She placed Marley on a barstool at the bar lining the entire edge of the room. "What do you want for breakfast Munchkin?" The three year old's face furrowed slightly in thought, a trait she'd inherited from her father.

"Pancakes!"

"Any specific kind?" Marley had an extremely creative mind, there was no way she'd settle for just plain pancakes.

"Castle pancakes with cloud eggs and hash brown rainbows and sausage birds!" The toddler shouted enthusiastically.

"You want _all_ that for breakfast?" The aforementioned toddler nodded. "And you're going to eat all of your breakfast?" Another nod. "Well, okay. Castle pancakes with cloud eggs, hash brown rainbows, and sausage birds it is." Marley clapped at her mother's words, a large grin on her face.  
It wasn't hard to make, the pancakes required a castle shaped cookie cutter, the eggs were scrambled, she molded the sausage into multiple small birds before cooking them, and the shredded hash browns got the addition of harmless food coloring to make the colors of a rainbow. In the midst of preparing everything, Elizabeth thought of her love for the culinary arts and how it manifested; her grandmother, a youthful woman, despite her age, with silver hair that was always pinned up and knowing green eyes, identical to her own. With her hands on autopilot, Elizabeth was allowed to think back to her times with her grandmother.

* * *

_Nearly a month after Jacqueline Merrit and her husband, David, were awarded custody of their only son's only child, said only child was tempted out of her bed by the smells wafting into her brightly colored bedroom from the kitchen located down the hall. Fifteen year old Elizabeth, a lanky, almost awkward, teenager with braces and a mess of unruly curly hair, gave into the temptation and stepped into an equally bright house. The tall girl stumbled into the kitchen, listening to the sound of bacon sizzling. "Good morning my dear!" The seventy-eight year old greeted the brunette girl chipperly.  
_

_"Mm, Nana, you are way too happy this morning." Elizabeth mumbled in reply, plopping into a chair at the round table and letting her head fall onto the wooden surface. Across from the teenager, a lean man with snow white hair and blue eyes hidden behind a newspaper chuckled before folding the paper and setting it on the table. His kind face wasn't what a teenager would expect now given his age; those kids always thought he was some bitter old man that yelled at them to get off his lawn. David Merrit was a happy man; he had the love of his life and had no reason to be spiteful, besides, it would make him old. Jacqueline pulled the bacon from her frying pan and placed it on three different plates to accompany eggs and toast.  
_

_"Elizabeth, you area Moreau woman, sit with dignity." She was a proud woman, gorgeous in her younger days, and still beautiful even then. Growing up, she was kind, generous; everything a woman of her stature should be. She and her husband came from wealthy families so she was raised to be a proper woman in every way, and had hoped to one day teach her own daughter - but she never had one. She had one child, a son, when she was nearly thirty, she tried beforehand, but never succeeded until little David had come along. Now Jacqueline had Elizabeth, an identical copy of her father, and almost identical to Jacqueline herself, just less graceful.  
Jacqueline placed the plates in front of the table's occupants with three glasses of milk. The brunette immediately dug in, devouring the food before chugging her milk while her grandparents ate slowly. She received a disapproving look from her grandmother. In 1942, when Jacqueline was fifteen, that display of gluttony from a woman was unacceptable.  
_

_"You make the best food Nana, what's your secret?" The old woman smiled.  
_

_"Practice, lots of practice my dear." She fell silent before an idea stuck her. "Perhaps I could teach you a thing or two."_

* * *

And she had done just that; Jacqueline and Elizabeth would often find themselves in the kitchen for hours baking cookies and brownies, and even making meals from all over the world. They would spend more time making French dishes and talking about their French roots and relatives.  
Shaking the memories away, Elizabeth heard a familiar canine whine; Thor had trotted back into the apartment and was now waiting for his breakfast. Between the eggs, pancakes, and hash browns – the sausage already complete – Elizabeth would run the risk of burning something should she walk away from the stove. The brunette debated having Thor wait, but another whine from the Rottweiler contested that idea. If he barked this early, she'd have some very unhappy tenants to deal with. With a sigh, Elizabeth pulled half her concentration from cooking; a lone cabinet door to the far right, past the pantry doors, opened up and a large square container floated out into view. Confident that he'd won, Thor plopped on his rump beside his elevated food and water bowls, thoroughly pleased with himself. The bright green snap lid separated from the clear container and a dry food measuring cup filled itself with dog food and made its way over to the awaiting animal. As soon as the food touched the metal bowl, Thor dug in. Elizabeth chuckled at the eager canine as the cup returned to the container, the lid snapped back into place, and the container went back to its spot in the cabinet.

After breakfast, Elizabeth gave Marley a bath and got the girl dressed, who insisted on wearing a pink tutu with sparkles on it over top of her jeans because it matched her pink long sleeved shirt – which also had sparkles. The brunette let Marley put her shoes on while she got ready for the day, wearing dark blue jeans and a thick white turtle neck. After slipping on a pair of four inch black heel boots and a black pea coat, Elizabeth made sure the balcony door was shut and locked before putting Marley's pale yellow coat on her. "Thor, be good. We'll be back in a couple of hours then we'll go for a walk, okay?" He huffed from his spot on the couch, making Elizabeth smile and walk out the door with Marley. The three year old ran to the elevator while the brunette woman locked the front door, joining her afterwards. Once they made it back to the lobby, the day receptionist, a stockly blonde woman named Grace, greeted them.  
"Ms. Merrit!" She had the front desk's phone in her hand and a large gift basket of sorts rested on the counter. "Someone from Hammer Industries is on the phone wanting to know if you're answer on investing in their latest project." Elizabeth fought the urge to roll her eyes, just because her grandfather was a businessman didn't mean Elizabeth was an interested investor.

"Tell them I said no, and make sure to mention how unprofessional it is to call my place of residence instead of a business line." Grace nodded. "What's with the basket?"

"Mr. Stark's assistant, Miss Potts, sent it over as a thank you for deciding to sell that land to him for the tower." The brunette raised an eyebrow.

"That was months ago, why are they sending something _now_?" Grace shrugged, wincing when she put the phone's receiver back to her ear; Elizabeth could hear the voice practically shouting on the other end. When she held her hand out for it, Grace was more than happy to hand over the device. "This is Elizabeth Merrit, yes good morning to you too. Listen I'm not…No, **_shut up and listen_**. I'm not interested in investing in anything Justin Hammer or Hammer Industries does. I don't make it a habit to give money to criminals nor do I fuel their ideas. And if anyone from your company calls this building for business reasons again, I'll sue for harassment, I might even go as far as to claim stalking. Have I made myself perfectly clear? Good." Elizabeth reached over the counter and hung the phone up.

"I'm sorry Ms. Merrit, I –" The blonde was cut off by her employer.

"Don't worry about it Grace, it's fine. If they call again, report harassment." Elizabeth made a move to leave, but turned back to Grace. "And make sure the Halloween decorations are up by the end of tomorrow; Alan and Carlos are supposed to be putting them up." The brunette looked at the gift basket. "Uhm, put that somewhere, I'll pick it up when I get back." Grace nodded and dutifully put it behind the counter.  
With that, Elizabeth walked out of the apartment building holding Marley's hand; the toddler skipping alongside her mother, her brown curls flopping with the movement.


	4. Chapter 3: Mini Captain and Her Soldiers

_Alright, so here's the third chapter. It's super late here but I decided to post it anyway. Happy belated Thanksgiving to anyone that celebrates it. I hope y'all enjoy it. I'm debating on whether or not I should delve deeper into Elizabeth's Heroes background or leave it alone considering this is an Avengers story. Let me know what you guys think about that._

**Disclaimer: **_I, ashesxtoxashes, do not own any recognizable Marvel or Heroes ideas or concepts. I own Elizabeth and Marley, and that's just about it._

* * *

Agent Phil Coulson sat in an empty briefing room at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, reading through the file lying open on the table in front of him for the millionth time. It had been nearly two weeks since his boss gave him that file. Coulson thought that maybe if he studied the contents of the file, memorized every small detail, this Elizabeth Merrit would seem less dangerous. Had he not worked for S.H.I.E.L.D., Phil Coulson wouldn't have been able to fathom that such an innocent looking woman could be responsible for so many deaths. From her file, Coulson learned Elizabeth had two kids – a son named Noah Ethan Grey and a daughter named Marleen Andrea Grey – who weren't even a year apart. The file mentioned the three going on a vacation to New Mexico around the time the demigod, Thor, arrived and The Destroyer was sent after him; Noah being a casualty from the attack. That bit of information made Coulson feel bad for the woman; the boy hadn't even had his fourth birthday. _Well, you get what you give._He thought – the year before the incident in New Mexico, Elizabeth's husband, a watchmaker from Queens, went missing. S.H.I.E.L.D. suspected she killed him but had no evidence or any idea as to why. Perhaps he was a mutant and she wanted his power, or he threatened to reveal what she was. Coulson decided not to over think it; if S.H.I.E.L.D. thought Elizabeth Merrit was dangerous, then she was. End of story.

* * *

Halloween came quickly for Elizabeth, having so much to do. She tried to talk Marley into a different costume but the girl was stubborn. The three year old wouldn't dress in anything but a Captain America costume. She did say, however, that she wanted Elizabeth to make it girly. So when she designed it, Elizabeth kept the original jumpsuit type suit but added a skirt to it; much like the female Power Rangers she'd watched as a kid. Marley wanted to keep the colors the same so, to get them right, Elizabeth had to dig out some of her son's old Captain America trading cards. The blue of the suit and helmet were the only solid parts; the white abdomen and red vertical straps across the red her decorated prettily in glitter, correct in color of course. The medium sized 'A' and small wings on the helmet as well as the medium-large star on the chest of the suit were a white glitter, contrasting amazingly with the blue around them. The brunette used a circular sheet of aluminum for the shield, which of covered entirely in glitter. The maroon-red gloves and boots were bought from the store, and the belt of the costume was made using on of Elizabeth's old belts and velcro pouches – the chest strap with the small pouch was made from the same ingenuity, just blue; the thigh gun holster was just a toy holster with a squirt gun occupying it. Elizabeth was proud of her work, if it wasn't for the feminine details, the costume could easily pass as a professionally made costume. Marley was ecstatic; she loved the glittery parts and built-in skirt. In fact, she got so excited she ran around with the shield and told every tenant she ran into inside the building about her Halloween costume. This included Steve Rogers from across the hall

When it came time to go trick-or-treating Elizabeth dressed herself and Thor up as soldiers from the forties, per Marley's request. The uniforms were tan, Elizabeth's with a long skirt and Thor's had the top part, a short tie, and a hat with a band to keep it from falling off. The brunette took Marley to trustworthy neighborhoods, walking her door to door with Thor on a leash until she tired herself out. Many people got a kick out of the theme matched costumes, especially the older people. Carrying her child back to her '09 Chevy Equinox with Thor trotting beside her, Elizabeth felt slightly on edge. In her peripheral vision, she noticed a dark SUV with multiple men in suits. The brunette unlocked her car and gripped the handle on one of the backseat doors, images flooded her vision the second contact was made.

_Multiple men in black tie suits surrounded the blue Equinox with flashlights.  
__"This is her car." One man said looking at the tag. "Better hurry before she gets back." A second man pulled out a bulky device and placed it over the key hole of driver door. The machine whirred for a minute, its inner workings doing their best to do the job it's supposed to. Finally, the machine beeped lowly and the same man pulled the door open while pulling a small cylindrical microphone from his suit jacket's inner pocket. The man placed it underneath the driver's seat before closing the door and stepping back, the lock machine locking the entire car again.  
__"The bug's been planted, let's get out of here."_

Elizabeth scowled before wrenching the door open with more force than necessary. She put Marley in her car seat and buckled her in as Thor jumped into the vehicle and pawed at the hat on his head. Elizabeth put Marley's bag of candy and shield on the floorboard before closing the door and climbing into the car, starting it, and driving off. She was livid; it had been nearly four years since any kind of agency, government or not, bothered her. She made sure to stay under their radar. How had they found her? _Dammit!_ She internally cursed. _It was probably Gabriel's disappearance that sent up a red flag…_  
The moment the SUV was out of sight – they hadn't followed her, thankfully – Elizabeth reached down to grab the tiny microphone, missing it by inches. Exhaling through her nose, the brunette stretched as much as she could. Ever so slightly, her middle finger grazed the device, causing her lips to curve in the smallest of smirks. A faint blue light appeared under the seat, crackling noises accompanying it. Elizabeth's fingers tingled as the electricity was released into the bug, effectively frying the damn thing. The element disappeared as she righted herself in her seat. "Well that takes care of that."

* * *

_Almost there. _She thought exiting the elevator on the fifth floor. Elizabeth held her sleeping daughter on her left arm, literally, and against her chest and shoulder. Marley's considerably large for a three year old bag of candy was gripped in her left hand, swinging against her hip as she walked; Thor's leash and the shield were held by her other hand. Marley stirred from the transition into the hall. "Shh, shh. Go back to sleep baby." Elizabeth murmured, rubbing her back as best she could. In an attempt to wake up, the three year old blinked several times and yawned. Remembering a lullaby from her childhood, the brunette sang it softly.

"_La petite poule grise  
Quallait pondre dans l'église  
Pondait un petite coco  
Que l'enfant mangeait tout chaud_

_Létait une petite poul noir_  
_Quallait pondre dans l'armoire"_

Marley began to nod off again when Elizabeth made it to her door.

"_Pondait un petite coco  
Que l'enfant mangeait tout chaud_

_Létait une petite poul blanche_  
_Quallait pondre dans la grange"_

Steve's door opened and he stepped out, gym bag slung over his shoulder. Elizabeth motioned for him to be silent with a finger to her lips when Marley shifted slightly.

"_Pondait un petite coco  
Que l'enfant mangeait tout chaud_

_Létait une petite poul rousse_  
_Quallait pondre dans la mousse"_

Instead of heading to the gym, Steve watched Elizabeth put Marley back to sleep.

"_Pondait un petite coco  
Que l'enfant mangeait tout chaud_"

After placing the shield on the floor and the strap of Thor's leash around her wrist, Elizabeth reached in her pocket for her keys.

"_Létait une petite poule brune  
Quallait pondre sur la lune_"

As silently as she could, Elizabeth unlocked her door and pushed it open. Steve scooped down to pick up the glittering shield when Elizabeth began to squat in an attempt to retrieve it. She shot him a grateful look and finished the lullaby.

"_Pondait un petite coco  
Que l'enfant mangeait tout chaud_"

Gesturing for Steve to follow her, Elizabeth made her way through her apartment to Marley's room, still humming the tune to the lullaby; Thor jumped up and plopped himself onto the couch. The blonde stopped at the bedroom door, not wanting to intrude. Elizabeth placed the bag on the floor and gently laid Marley down on her butterfly decorated yellow sheets. After removing her helmet and draping a light blanket over the sleeping girl, Elizabeth grabbed the candy and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her. "Thank you." The brunette spoke softly, taking the shield from Steve's hand and leading him away from the room.  
"You're welcome." He spoke just as softly. "What was that just now?"  
"A lullaby my grandmother used to sing to me, it's French." Entering the kitchen, the brunette opened her pantry door to the right of her refrigerator and placed the candy bag on the highest shelf she could reach.  
"What does it mean?"  
"It's about a child that would follow behind different chickens and eat the egg each of them laid. A little disturbing if you ask me, but it always made me fall asleep. I took a chance on it, and it paid off. Would you like a drink?" Steve smiled.  
"No, thank you. I was just heading to the boxing gym."  
"I noticed." Elizabeth nodded. "Makes me wonder what you'd do if I ever decided to get rid of it." The smile on his face instantly disappeared.  
"Oh, no. Please don't! I-"  
"Relax, I was just kidding. Don't worry, that gym isn't going anywhere." Steve visibly relaxed, a blush crawling up his neck. "I'm sorry, that was mean." Steve nodded slightly, either in agreement or embarrassment.  
"Tha-That's alright…" He whispered. "You sing beautifully, by the way.." It was Elizabeth's turn to blush.  
"Thank you.. It's only because my grandmother put me through lessons. She insisted that as a woman, it was imperative that I not sound like a dying Walrus should I ever have to sing my children to sleep." It was true, Jacqueline nearly freaked out when her husband joked about their granddaughter sounding like an injured animal. Elizabeth's mother couldn't sing either and had obviously passed that onto her daughter.  
"Your grandmother was strict?" Steve asked, uncomfortable with the idea of a woman controlling every detail of another's life.  
"Heavens no. She was just very proper. I loved living with my grandparents; I didn't have to do anything special for their love." Curiosity prompted the blonde.  
"What about your parents?" Elizabeth's head dropped, suddenly finding her intertwined hands very interesting.  
"My dad died when I was thirteen and I haven't seen my mother since I was fifteen when I moved in with my grandparents."

Her parents had separated when she was young and her mother remarried shortly after; her stepfather, Robert, was constantly trying to replace David as her father. After he had passed away, Robert became even more insistent. One day, it escalated to a fight in which fourteen year old Elizabeth screamed at Robert that he wasn't her dad and never would be. Immediately afterward, Robert told Elizabeth to get out of his house. She still remembered his exact words: _"Get out of my damn house you ungrateful Bitch! I should have known better than to take in a bastard child like you."_ It had been ten years since that conversation, but those words still stung.  
"Oh, I am so sorry, I shouldn't have asked-"  
"Don't, please don't. It was a long time ago. And I don't take pity very well Mr. Rogers."  
"Steve."  
"I'm sorry?"  
"Call me Steve, please." Elizabeth nodded.  
"Alright, then call me Elizabeth." During their brief encounters, he usually called her 'Ma'am' and it made her feel a little old. Steve gave a single nod.  
"I think I can do that." Elizabeth smiled, glad that he wasn't being awkward and shy at the moment. Sure the brunette thought it was cute on the blonde, but Gabriel had been awkward and shy when she met him; and that relationship hadn't ended well.

Elizabeth hopped up onto the counter beside the fridge as the two fell into an easy conversation, eventually coming to the topic of Marley's costume. "The suit was made really well," Steve commented, leaning against the breakfast bar behind him. "Where did you get it?"  
"I made it actually."  
"Is there anything you can't do?" Steve joked. Elizabeth paused to think.  
"I can't box." Elizabeth didn't know what made the words leave her mouth, but she then muttered, "And apparently I can't keep my family together…" If Steve heard the last part, he didn't show it.  
"You can't box, yet you have a boxing gym in a building you own?" Elizabeth nodded.  
"Pretty much." Steve gave her a look and she threw her hands up. "Hey! I tried, okay? I happen to be very prone to getting hurt where boxing is concerned. I even broke my wrist one time." Steve chuckled at her.  
"Maybe I could teach you how without you hurting yourself."  
"Careful," Elizabeth warned, "I may just have to take you up on that offer."  
For the next fifteen minutes, the two talked and joked comfortably like old friends. After that Elizabeth prompted Steve to continue on his way to the gym, feeling bad for having kept him. The brunette declined the blonde's offer to accompany him and learn some boxing basics, her reasoning being not only was she still in her skirted costume – a fact that she swore made Steve blush – but she was working in her bakery bright and early tomorrow. So after Steve left and she locked her door, Elizabeth reached into her costume jacket's pocket and pulled out the cylindrical listening device, burnt and charred, before going into her room.

* * *

Steve rhythmically punched away on his third bag that night. For once his mind wasn't bombarded with images from the war, instead he was thinking about the brunette four floors up. Even though it hadn't been meant for him, Steve caught the words she'd muttered under her breath.

"_And apparently I can't keep my family together…"_

Elizabeth came across as a genuinely kind person, one who'd fight to protect what she loves. Someone who might even make the sacrifice play if she was needed to. From what he'd already learned, Elizabeth was selfless, everything she did she did for her daughter. Since he woke up, Steve hadn't met anyone as genuine as Elizabeth; not that he had tried all that hard to get back into the world after he learned how different it was. But Steve truly believed that she wouldn't have looked upon his pre-serum self with disgust, she wouldn't have judged him based on that like so many women have. _She's a good person,_ his mind whispered, _a real nice dame._ Steve shook his head. _No. I don't even really know her. She's got a daughter and probably a husband; a family._ Steve knew that times had changes, that children born out of wedlock happened more common than in his day, and so did divorces, but he couldn't see that with Elizabeth.

Thinking back to it, the blonde hadn't seen a wedding band on her finger, and the photos in her apartment only featured Elizabeth, her daughter, and a young boy. _She never said anything about having another child._

_And you never said anything about being Captain America._ His voice of reason argued. She was entitled to her privacy.

Shaking his head again, Steve punched the bag harder, forcing it back and breaking the chain. He really needed to stop over thinking things..


	5. Chapter 4: Enlightenment

_Sorry! Preparing for finals was absolutely insane. But I'm back! Hopefully I'll be able to update more often. I am a little disappointed with the lack of feedback for this story though; I'm hoping it'll increase soon though.  
Well, on with the story then!  
_

* * *

The next seven months passed by Elizabeth like no time at all. The brunette and Steve spent the majority of nights together in the old boxing gym on the first floor, either talking or him giving her boxing lessons. The first began with the blonde telling her that her entire form was wrong; the way her wrists were bent was likely the reason she had broken one. Steve spent thirty minutes helping her correct her stance; it was easy for Elizabeth to tell he was in the army, the way he held himself made it obvious. Although he vocally commanded her, either too shy or too respectful to invade her personal space and physically move her. After she was in a proper stance, the lesson started. The rest had gone uphill from there. Steve was able to learn more about Elizabeth, specifically why he'd never seen her with Marley's father; even though it had been an accident. He had wondered aloud if her husband would mind the lessons. "_**Steve,**_" she had said, a little too sharply. "_**My **__husband__** hasn't been in my life for nearly two years. Everyone thinks he ran off to some tropical island with a pair of barely legal blondes hanging on his arms.**_" Elizabeth had punched the hanging bag and then added as an afterthought, "_**Gabriel always did have a soft spot for blondes…**_" Elizabeth didn't seem angry or even sad, more disappointed; the comment made Steve feel bad for bringing it up. The two didn't dwell on it, though, silently agreeing not to discuss it. They were okay with not knowing every detail about each other; they both couldn't imagine any secret the other might have that would be worse than their own.

Thanksgiving came and went without much event; Elizabeth invited Steve to spend the holiday with her and Marley. Steve was hesitant at first, not wanting to impose, but eventually the lonely kid from Brooklyn won and he agreed. A week before Christmas had Elizabeth, Marley, Steve, and Thor exiting the elevator one morning. Steve had been called in by his work and Elizabeth needed to take Marley to daycare and Thor to a doggie day camp and then open her bakery for the day. The blonde had on an outfit that seemed vintage, forties era maybe; a medium sized duffle bag slung over his shoulder. It suited him, Elizabeth decided; he had a personality that could easily pull it off. Elizabeth wore black dress slacks, a short sleeved beige spilt neck sweater with button detailing, black stiletto heels, and her pea coat. The two adults fell into an easy silence after greeting each other as they walked into the lobby. Festive decorations hung throughout the room, including a wreath on each of the two doors leading outside; garland here, candy canes there. A tree stood tall and proud to the left of Elizabeth, about ten feet tall and littered with lights and ornaments; a large glowing star sat atop the pine. Elizabeth stopped at the front desk when Grace caught her attention. "Good morning Ms. Merrit." The blonde woman was chipper.  
"Good morning Grace." Elizabeth noticed Grace's eyes drift upwards and tilted her head in the same direction. Above her head, hanging from the space where the ceiling dips down two feet to create the hallway to the elevators was a bundle of green held together with a red ribbon. "Mistletoe? Really Grace?" Grace let out a small laugh.  
"Well, it _is_ tradition." At the raise of Elizabeth's eyebrow, Grace added. "Just don't kiss me." Elizabeth sighed and turned to see Steve about to walk past her. She wasn't sure how she walked faster than him considering his legs were longer, but that wasn't important. Calling his name stopped the blonde man, and Elizabeth quickly reached up and brought her lips to his cheek. Scarlet crawled up his neck and spread halfway up his face; Elizabeth quickly pointed up and muttered "Mistletoe." The brunette made her exit, ushering Marley and Thor with her; the former informing her mother that she probably now had cooties.  
Christmas and New Year's happened in a blur and, before Elizabeth knew it, it was already June. The brunette was leaving her apartment and heading down to the gym; there was nothing planned between them, but she found that spending her nights with Steve was relaxing, therapeutic even. Stepping out of the elevator, Elizabeth froze; there was someone in the boxing gym with Steve, she could hear them talking. The woman heard Steve ask, "_You here with a mission sir?_" And immediately forced a sound barrier over her ears; that conversation was none of her business, she didn't want to intrude. She did, however, want to know who that man was and _why_ he was personally paying a visit to one of her tenants in the middle of the night.  
Elizabeth waited a minute before thinning the barrier; she was able to hear Steve walking away from the man, "_You should have left it in the ocean._" After she heard Steve leave through the locker room exit he'd found not too long ago, the brunette entered the gym. Elizabeth silently watched the man entirely in black for a moment before he spoke.  
"I was wondering when you'd show up Ms. Merrit." As he turned around, her green eyes narrowed.  
"Who are you?"  
"My name is Nick Fury. I'm the director of an organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D.-" The brunette rose an eyebrow.  
"Shield? Like a sword and shield?" Elizabeth crossed her arms, her hip popping to the side.  
"If you would let me _finish_," this man had a bad attitude. "It stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division-"  
"No wonder why you go by the acronym. That's one hell of a mouthful." His one visible eye sort of glared at her. Elizabeth decided to get to the point. "That's real nice, but _why are you here_?"  
"Don't you already know? You _are_ clairvoyant, aren't you?" Elizabeth's muscles immediately tensed, her eyes narrowing again.  
"You'd better have a damn good reason why you're in my building at midnight." Fury made a sigh-like motion, his eye blinking.  
"Truth is," he paused, seemingly having a disagreement with pride. "I need your help." He held out a file for her. "The entire world's freedom is at stake." Warily, Elizabeth grabbed the file from his hand, watching him like a hawk. Elizabeth flipped through the file, reading bits and pieces. "A man named Loki stole an energy source known as the Tesseract and, with it, he plans of enslaving the human race." Fury explained. _No tingle_, Elizabeth realized, _he's telling the truth, or atleast thinks he is_.  
"I don't see how that's my problem." Elizabeth looked at him. "I can easily keep under someone's radar, especially if it's just one man."  
"We found you."  
"An unfortunate mishap." The next words out of Nick Fury's mouth made Elizabeth's heart shudder.  
"Loki is the reason why your son was killed in New Mexico."  
Elizabeth's eyes grew wide. _No…_There wasn't even the slightest indication he was lying; her ability told her that he was completely honest.  
"Loki…" She murmured. "You don't mean the god in Norse mythology, do you?" Fury inclined his head.  
"The very same." She was finally seeing an opportunity to get some answers, to finally understand what happened to her baby boy.  
"Why me?" She asked suddenly. "Why are you coming to me?"  
"If it were me," Fury looked Elizabeth dead in the eye. "I'd want the chance to confront him. To be able to make him feel the pain he caused."  
He was right, Elizabeth knew, she'd wanted to distribute the pain she felt since that horrible day. Slowly, she inhaled, trying to keep her breathing even.  
"You're not doing this out of the goodness of your heart, what's the catch?"  
"If Loki wins, you stop getting to choose. I'm sure you like your freedom as much as I like mine." There was a pause and Elizabeth weighed her options. "S.H.I.E.L.D. watches all potential threats, we know you're powerful. And as much as I hate to admit it, we need you; the world needs you."

That was how Elizabeth found herself on the small aircraft with government agents and Steve, who she learned was Captain America. _**Captain America **_had been living across the hall from her and her daughter for almost a year. Elizabeth sat on the seat by the wall beside him, looking down at her wrist. A small metal wrist cuff rested around get appendage; it suppressed the brunette's abilities. Fury told her that S.H.I.E.L.D. would need her to wear it for the time being, and since he'd been honest with her about not pulling any tricks, she had hesitantly agreed. Elizabeth had to admit, it was nice not having so much going on in her head as most of her abilities were brain based. She didn't have a headache from listening to every noise a mile out, but her head felt kind of empty now. She wasn't scared of that surge of power emanating from her fingertips; the uncontrollable ability she had since she was nineteen and her ability manifested. Her skin didn't tingle with pent-up electricity wanting to be discharged. She felt normal for the first time in over six years. The feeling didn't last long, however, because she remembered why she felt normal; the inhibitor. They didn't trust her. They saw her as a threat. But they still came to her because they needed help. This S.H.I.E.L.D. organization wasn't too proud to ask for help; it reminded her of Bennett.

* * *

_She was done trying, Elizabeth had been in the hands of 'The Company' long enough to stop resisting or trying to escape. The one time she was able to break out of her cell, she went from being a Level 2 captive to bring thrown in among the criminals is Level 5. Level 5 was maximum security, only the worst of the worst were brought there. Elizabeth had a rare gift, they had said, there was no way in hell they'd let that go._

_It surprised the young brunette when HRG - the man with the horn-rimmed glasses - appeared in front of her new cell. "What do you want now Glasses?" At first Elizabeth had thought that maybe if she was nice and proper like her grandmother taught her, they might let her go, but she was fed up with being nice to these people. Beside him stood a short- haired brunette woman Elizabeth recognized. Her name was Eden McCain, she lived next door to a man who'd helped Elizabeth when her ability manifested. Eden was a spy for 'The Company'.  
"__**You're going to follow us,**__" Eden began, her voice laced with her ability, "__**you won't try to escape, and you'll be quiet.**__" Elizabeth couldn't find the command and followed the pair out of her cell, into a separate room a floor up. Eden made the teenager sit in a wooden chair while HRG took a seat across from her.  
"How badly do you want out of here?" HRG asked her in his 'I'm only going to make this offer once' voice.  
"Don't ask questions you already know the answer to Glasses." Elizabeth tried to play it cool, but her curiosity had peaked through; and a tiny spark of hope filled in her chest. "Why?"  
"I'm going to make you an offer." He leaned forward in his chair, touching his fingertips together. "Tomorrow night is my daughter's Homecoming game. She's like you, and Sylar knows about her. He's going to attack her at her school."  
"Let me guess, you want me to intervene or something?"  
"I want you to protect my daughter and take down Sylar in exchange for your freedom."  
"The last time I came in contact with that psycho I nearly died. What good would freedom do if I'm dead or on Sylar's radar?" HRC leaned back in his chair.  
"And for a second I thought you'd be smart enough to understand the opportunity I've given you…" He 'began to get up from his seat.  
"Wait!" Elizabeth all but yelled. "F-Fine, I'll help you. I'll go to your kid's school and keep her safe. I'll make sure Sylar doesn't touch her." His lips curved into what could have been a smile.  
"Good…And stop calling me Glasses."  
"What am I supposed to call you then?"_

_..._

_"Bennett."_


	6. Chapter 5: Nervousness

_I'm so sorry that it's been so long. I've been trying as often as I can, but school has picked up again and I've been swamped. Apparently, when I registered for my English Comp class, I chose the accelerated one. So instead of having eighteen weeks to complete the class, I only had eight. Good news though, the class is ending this week and I should be able to update more often.  
This chapter is a little on the short side, not even 1,600 words. But I've been up all night finishing the rough draft of my last English essay due today, I have to be in my Economics class in two hours. I figured I'd type up a chapter now and post it while I was thinking about it instead of waiting a couple more days. Things are about to get good.  
By the way, it's still up for discussion whether the story should mainly focus on Elizabeth now, or delve into the depths of her past, considering her past kinda takes place in the Heroes show. I want to know what ya'll think! Anyway, here is chapter five!  
**  
Disclaimer: I, ashesxtoxashes, do not own The Avengers, Heroes, or any of their affiliations. I own Elizabeth, Marley, and Doggy Thor. **  
_

* * *

**Chapter Five: Nervousness**

The brunette snapped out of her flashback when her ears processed the noises around her. "—ou okay?" Elizabeth blinked and turned to Steve.  
"Say again?"  
"Are you okay?" He repeated.  
"Oh, uhm, yeah. Yes, I'm fine." Elizabeth looked down. "I guess I'm still trying to process everything. It's difficult to wrap my head around you actually being Captain America…" Steve chuckled.  
"It's pretty hard for me to grasp you being a mutant." As soon as the 'M' word left his lips, Elizabeth's head snapped up to look him in the eyes.

"Don't call me that." The brunette shook her head. "I refuse to be classified by such a derogatory term. I don't care what idiots say about my genes, _I am not a mutant_." The blonde quickly backpedaled, apologizing profusely before Elizabeth sighed, looking at the metal floor of the aircraft again.

"It's alright Steve. Just, don't do it again, alright?" He readily agreed and the two fell silent.  
The agent accompanying the two kept glancing in their direction, a mix of expressions on his face. The balding man looked at Steve with admiration, but regarded Elizabeth with an anxious feeling with tinges of fear and worry flitting across his face. Needless to say, it was starting to bother the brunette. "Excuse me, Agent whatever your name was?"  
"Coulson. Agent Coulson." He said glancing at her.

"Right, Agent Coulson, would it be too much to ask you to stop looking at me like I'm going to eat you? Please?" Steve's eyebrows shot up and Agent Coulson faked coughed.  
"Captain, it's a pleasure to meet you. Officially." Coulson changed the subject, addressing Steve. The blonde half smiled. "I sort of met you. I watched you while you were sleeping." Elizabeth eyed him while Steve's head inclined downward.  
_That's a little creepy…_

"I mean, I was present –" Steve stood up and started walking to the very front of the aircraft. "- while you were unconscious from the ice…" Coulson trailed off, following the blonde. "You know, it's really – it's just a – just a huge honor to have you on board. It is."  
_Well that was smooth…_  
"Well I hope I'm the man for the job." At Steve's words, Elizabeth stood and walked up to him.  
"Steve." Her voice was strong; he turned to her. "Stop doubting yourself. You wouldn't be here right now if you weren't, you're more amazing than you know." A small blush crawled up the man's neck; a tiny smile adorned his face.  
"I'm not amazing, Captain America is." The brunette looked him right in the eyes and cupped his face in her hands.

"Steve Rogers, you listen to me, you are amazing. I could care less that you put on a spangley outfit and have the strength of ten men. That doesn't define you. You, Steve, are amazing because of your heart; you're a man with dignity and actually have something to be proud of. I'm just sorry you can't see that your worth isn't because of a suit and shield." Elizabeth let go of his face, which was considerably redder. The only other woman that believed in him like that had been Peggy. Steve somewhat doubted that the brunette in front of him would feel the same way if she knew him when he was still small.

"We've made a few modifications to the uniform. I had a little design input." Steve turned back to Agent Coulson, his eyebrows furrowed.  
"The uniform? Aren't the stars and stripes a little old fashioned?"  
"With everything that's happening, everything that's about to come to light, the world could use a little old fashioned." Elizabeth put her hand on Steve's shoulder.  
"Besides," she added. "Having a certain Captain fighting for us again may just get people believing in American pride once more." Elizabeth smiled at him. "There are plenty of people that look up to you Steve, Noah did." Steve nodded. They all stood in silence for a moment before the blonde spoke.  
"So, what were you thinking of just now?"

* * *

When the aircraft landed, Elizabeth noticed they were on a gigantic ship in the middle of the ocean; and began to feel anxious. If they wanted to, they could easily kill her and no one would be the wiser. Surely Steve wouldn't let them do that to her, right? What if he didn't know, or worse, he was in on it? That thought let loose dozens of others in the brunette's mind; what if Steve had been sent to gain her trust and then execute her when given the chance? What if the first person she trusted in a long time betrayed her?

Shaking her head, the brunette pushed those thoughts away. The lack of energy buzzing through her body was making her paranoid; she'd have to calm down. Elizabeth took a deep breath, if something were to happen to her, who would take care of Marley? _Nothing will happen_, she had to reassure herself. Besides, Marley would be taken care of, Elizabeth had made sure; custody over the child would be given to Peter Petrelli, a man she'd formed a close friendship to given the threat of the world ending or being taken over multiple times.

A moment after stepping off the aircraft, a woman walked up to them, with short red hair and clothes tighter than Elizabeth's own dark blue jeans, purple tank top, and old leather jacket – a jacket she had not worn since before Noah was born. "Coulson, Fury wants you on deck." The overly obsessed agent walked away and the woman began walking beside Steve, Elizabeth walked in the other side of him. "It was quite the buzz around here, finding you in the ice. I thought Coulson was going to swoon. Did he ask you to sign his Captain America trading cards yet?" Steve looked at her.  
"Trading cards?"  
"They're vintage, he's very proud."  
"A grown man has an unhealthy obsession with you Steve, you should be honored." Elizabeth commented, walking backwards in front of the tall blonde man.  
"If I remember correctly, you have Captain America trading cards too, Elizabeth." The red headed woman raised her eyebrow at the two.  
"I only have those because of Noah, you know, my son who adored you." Steve smiled before looking ahead and Elizabeth turned back around.

Seeing an older man looking around as if he were lost and as nervous as Elizabeth felt, Steve called out to him and walked hi way. "Dr. Banner!" The man jumped slightly and looked toward the trio.  
"Is he a friend of yours Steve?" Elizabeth whispered leaning over to him. At this point, she'd rather remain with someone familiar to her; she didn't want to be completely at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mercy. 'Dr. Banner' seemed very timid.  
"No, we've never met, but he's in the files we were given."  
"I don't know what they gave you, but they didn't give me anything except this pretty little crippling accessory." Elizabeth held her wrist up to show the inhibitor.  
"Oh yes, they told me you'd be coming." Dr. Banner greeted Steve when the three reached him.  
"Word is you can find the cube."  
"Is that," Dr. Banner glanced around, "the only word?"  
"Only word I care about." The blonde's comment made Elizabeth smile.  
"So, you're a scientist then?" The older man looked at Elizabeth before nodding.  
"Yes, I specialize in Gamma Radiation."  
"I can respect that. I'm Elizabeth." She shook his hand.  
"Do you work for S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Elizabeth chuckled.  
"No, I was recruited to help, just like you were." Banner suddenly looked a little nervous again.  
"So you've read my – **the** – files?"  
"No, I wasn't allowed to read any person's files. All I know is what everything I need to know; only so I'm knowledgeable about what I," Elizabeth corrected her mistake, "what **we'll** be up against. Don't worry Dr. Banner; whatever it is you're nervous for, I know nothing about." At her words, Elizabeth could almost feel the slight rise in tension surrounding the four of them.  
"What makes you think I'm nervous?" Elizabeth smiled.  
"Because, I feel the same way; I know what nervous looks like." He gave Elizabeth a critical look.  
"Why would you be nervous? You're normal." His remark earned a scoff from the brunette.  
"I'm far from normal Dr. Banner."

"What, are you a mutant or something?" The second the 'm' word left the older man's lips, a chain reaction occurred. Immediately, Steve's head snapped from Dr. Banner to Elizabeth, attempting to gauge her reaction, and eyed the young brunette. Dr. Banner seemed to realize that he had just said the wrong thing from the blonde's actions; a look of worry crossed his features as he opened his mouth to apologize. The look on Elizabeth's face changed drastically in the few seconds it took her and Steve to register what the older man in front of them had said. The redhead next to Steve went on high alert; she was told the brunette was dangerous, they just didn't tell her how or why.

Staring at him with narrowed eyes, Elizabeth's jaw and fists clenched. "I don't know what your secret is Doctor, but if you call me that again, you'll know mine; and trust me when I say, you'll regret ever learning that word when I get through with you." Elizabeth turned to the redhead. "I need to see Fury." Nodding, she grabbed a random passerby by the arm.  
"Take this woman to Fury."

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_See that pretty little box down below? You should type words in it and click the button that says review; that'd make my day! =)._


	7. Chapter 6: She Wants Her Turn

_**I'm sorry I've been away so long; school's been insane. Econ was especially bad. I just took my last final today though, and since I'm not taking any summer classes, updating is going to get easier and more frequent. I am slightly disappointed with the lack of reviews for this story. One every now and then telling me what you guys think is all I ask for; I don't need unconditional praise or anything; and I certainly don't care if the rest of any reviews I ever get are anonymous.**_

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own any recognizable character; only Elizabeth, Marley, and canine Thor are mine.**

* * *

The young man dropped Elizabeth off in some form of control room before leaving; more than likely going back to his job. Green eyes surveyed the room; forty to fifty people easily working on computers. In the middle of the room, looking out an immensely large window stood the tall, dark man she was searching for. "Glad to see you made it alright." His voice startled her, causing her to jump slightly. She steeled herself as he turned to face her.  
"Yeah, so am I." During a moment of silence, Fury blinked, slow and deliberate; his hands locked behind his back. "When can I get this damn thing off?" Fury's visible eye flicked to the technology on her wrist before resting on her face again.  
"Soon," his voice was clipped; business-like. "But I need to ensure the safety of everyone on this ship before I let you take that off." Elizabeth sighed just as a door behind her opened, most likely the same one she entered through; the redheaded agent walked in the room followed by Steve and Dr. Banner.  
"You," Elizabeth pointed at him. "You asked me for my help on this." She let her arm drop back to her side. "With this thing on," she shifted her weight, her loose curls swaying slightly, "I can't help anyone." The brunette turned around and passed Steve on her way to a large glass half-table with a black circle raised from one side, an eagle-like insignia on it. Elizabeth sat in one of the black leather chairs while Steve surveyed the room. Banner walked around the table, glancing at one exit with guards posted on either side of a large version of the same insignia on the table. Her green eyes caught the way Banner turned from the guards; he was nervous again.

Throughout the room, agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. busied themselves with work. Elizabeth hadn't noticed that the ship had risen into the air until just then. The brunette didn't listen to the chatter of any of the agents; instead she turned to the older man standing a few feet away from her. "Dr. Banner," the scientist turned her way. "I want to apologize for what I said a little bit ago; it was completely out of line and I –"  
"It's alright." He interrupted. "Had I known of your…sensitivity to that word, I wouldn't have said it."  
"It shouldn't bother me as much as it does, I mean, it's just a word. But I don't see my ability as a mutation, and to label it as such feels derogatory to me." Banner nodded. Before anything else could be said, Fury turned back toward the table again.  
"Gentlemen – and lady," he said walking that way. Steve, standing by the table, approached Fury, pulling money from his pocket and handing the man a bill. Steve continued walking to where the man had been standing, still looking at the ship in amazement. The Director stopped in front of Dr. Banner and held up his hand, "Doctor, thank you for coming." Banner's eyes flickered from the man's face, to his hand, and back to his face before he shook the offered appendage.  
"Thanks for asking nicely." Banner looked to his lower left before continuing, his eyes slowly finding the Director's face again. "So, uhm, how long am I staying?"  
_Interesting_, Elizabeth thought.  
"As soon as we get our hands on the Tesseract, you're in the wind."  
"Where are you with that?" Fury pointed to something Elizabeth couldn't see and the two walked toward it.  
"We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet," the brunette heard the voice of Agent Coulson. "Cell phones, laptops. If it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us."  
"It's still not going to find them in time." The red-haired agent spoke up from a crouched position beside a computer.  
You have to narrow your field." Banner told Fury. "How many spectrometers do you have access to?"  
"How many are there?" Fury crossed his arms.  
"Call every lab you know, tell them to put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays." Banner took off his suit jacket. "I'll rough out a tracking algorithm, basic cluster recognition. Atleast we could rule out a few places." Fury nodded in understanding. "Do you have somewhere for me to work?"  
"Agent Romanoff." The redhead turned to Fury; finally a name for the face. "Could you show Dr. Banner to his laboratory, please?" Agent Romanoff began walking toward a set of doors, passing Banner.  
"You're gonna love it Doc, we got all the toys."

Elizabeth stood and headed toward Steve. "So," she got his attention, "when do I get to see you in uniform?" The blonde raised an eyebrow at her.  
"You want to see me in the Captain America suit..?" Elizabeth smiled.  
"I thought you'd never ask."

At Steve's request, Fury assigned an agent to show the duo where the blonde's new and improved suit was being kept. Elizabeth didn't actually think Steve would put it on for her due to, not only, his shyness around women, but his general modesty as well. However, he got the suit from the case it was in and took it to another room. After a few minutes, Steve walked back into the room in his patriotic attire; holding his helmet in his hands. She supposed it was because she had asked him about it that he was willing to show her; the brunette knew Steve was by no means the ostentatious type. Elizabeth couldn't deny the suit looked very good on him; she even felt a tiny flutter in her stomach.

As Steve stood in front of the woman more or less checking him out, the blonde began to feel slightly uncomfortable. He remembered seeing a similar look on Howard Stark's secretary right before she forced him in a lip lock. "Alright, you saw it. I'm going to go change now." The blonde went to turn, but Elizabeth spoke.  
"Steve," the brunette crossed her arms, "what are you doing?" Steve raised his arm to the room he had changed in.  
"Changing..?" Elizabeth walked up to him.  
"That's not what I mean and you know it." The blonde's arm dropped to his side as he opened his mouth, and then promptly shut it. "Talk to me Steve." Elizabeth grabbed his hands and lowered herself onto the floor, pulling him with her. "What's going on?"  
"That look you gave me," Steve let out a sigh. "I've seen it before…" After he trailed off, Elizabeth urged him to continue. "When I was working with Howard Stark, his secretary gave me that look before she kissed me." Steve looked away from Elizabeth. The brunette scooted closer to him, disregarding personal space for the moment.  
"Steve..?" Elizabeth rested her left hand on Steve's right arm.  
"She knew I was Captain America, a gal like her wouldn't have been interested in me if I wasn't." Blue eyes met green. "And you didn't look at me like that until you found out too…"  
"You think that because you're Captain America, my opinion of you changed?" Elizabeth stared at him in disbelief. "Steve Rogers! Get that thought out of your head right now!" Elizabeth brought her hands to his chest and pushed him back; he landed with a soft thud. Before Steve could pick himself up, Elizabeth was propped up on her hands and knees above him; the blonde's face instantly turned red.  
"E-Elizabeth..? W-what are you do-ing?" The ends of her brown locks swayed just above Steve's face.  
"How long have you known me, Steven?" Elizabeth demanded.  
"S-Seven months."  
"And how many times did I give you the impression of such superficiality?"  
"N-Never…" The next words spoken by the brunette were filled with hurt.  
"So why would you think so little of me, Steve?" The blush on Steve's face receded slightly and he averted his eyes.  
"I…I'm sorry Elizabeth, I never meant to…" Steve exhaled and looked back at the brunette. "Gals like you never took an interest in me before I became Captain America…"  
"Gals like me?" Elizabeth cocked an eyebrow at him. "What, exactly, is a gal like me?" Steve turned red again. The blonde mumbled his answer.  
"Abeautifulgal…" Elizabeth didn't need her abilities to make sense of what the blonde had quickly said. _Beautiful._

Elizabeth got out of her position over Steve and sat back down as the blonde slowly pulled himself up. "That look," Elizabeth wasn't looking at him, but beside him, "is called admiration mixed with respect. Atleast for me, it is." The brunette shook her head. "I admire you, I respect you Steve; not some suit." _No matter how good you look in it._ "You should get changed before a random woman attacks your lips with hers." Elizabeth grinned as Steve's face reddened once more. "Before you go," she began once he stood, "help me up?"

Back in the control room, Elizabeth was lounging in one of the leather chairs, her heeled feet crossed on top of the table. The computers around the room were running a facial recognition program in search for Loki. Steve was standing next to Agent Coulson; said agent had just asked the blonde to sign his Captain America trading cards.  
"I mean, if it's not too much trouble." Steve glanced at him quickly.  
"No, no. It's fine." Coulson nodded and the two stood in silence for a moment.  
"It's a vintage set." Elizabeth was having a field day observing the man. "It took me a couple of years to collect them all." Elizabeth almost laughed at the movements of Coulson's head; look at Steve, look away, repeat five more times. "Near mint; slight foxing around the edges, but…" Coulson stopped talking when a man sitting in front of a computer turned his chair around and interrupted. "We got a hit; a sixty-seven percent match." Elizabeth jumped from her seat, nearly knocking the chair over. Steve looked in her direction as she steadied the chair. "Wait, cross match; seventy-nine percent." Coulson approached the man at the computer.  
"Location?"  
Stuttgart, Germany; 28 Königstrasse. He's not exactly hiding."  
"Captain," Fury gained Steve's attention, pulling Elizabeth's as well. "You're up."  
"Fury," the man looked at Elizabeth. "What about me?" She asked suddenly, almost desperately. "I want to be a part of this." The man in charge gave the brunette a pointed look.  
"We want him alive Ms. Merrit. You need to stay here."  
"I can't just sit here and do nothing while that maniac is free to do as he pleases."  
"He won't be soon enough; patience."  
"If you don't mind my asking," Steve gained her attention, "why are you so intent on going after Loki? It seems personal." Elizabeth moved closer to the blonde so everyone in the room didn't hear her answer  
"I took Noah and Marley to New Mexico and Noah was killed by some gigantic _thing_; that was because of Loki. Steve, Loki killed my son." With a gentle expression on his face, Steve placed his hands on her shoulders.  
"I'm going to bring Loki back here, and when he tells us where the Tesseract is, you'll get your shot at him. But right now, I need to focus on the mission instead of worrying about your safety."  
"Fine." Elizabeth looked him in the eye. "Go kick his ass; make sure to give him a punch in the face for me."  
After Steve left, to get his suit on, Elizabeth was left with nothing to do. The brunette approached Fury. "I'm free to walk around, right?"  
"Of course." He answered.  
"Alright then, would you mind pointing me in the direction of Dr. Banner's lab?"  
"I'll do you one better. Coulson."  
"Sir?"  
"Escort Ms. Merrit to the doctor's laboratory."

Agent Coulson took Elizabeth to the lab occupied by the scientist; it was done quickly and quietly. Obviously, Agent Coulson didn't like her very much. The brunette thanked him and he was on his way. "Mind if I join you, Doctor Banner?" Elizabeth stood in the doorway. The older man glanced up from a computer screen.  
"Miss Merrit, hi. Not at all, make yourself at home."

The flight to Germany was faster than Steve thought it would be. With a nameless agent piloting and Agent Romanoff co-piloting, the team got there in record time. "Captain," Agent Romanoff turned to look at the man resembling an America flag, the quinjet hovering just above a building. "He's got hostages down there." Steve peered out the jet's windshield; a large crowd of people were kneeling, surrounded by four Lokis. One of them walked through the crowd, seeming to be talking to them. Agent Romanoff opened the hatch at the back as one person in the crowd stood. "This isn't going to end well," she muttered. "You're gonna have to jump." The weapon in Loki's hand glowed as he pointed it at the person. Steve jumped from the jet and landed on the building as the aircraft was steered away. Quickly, Steve ran to the edge of the building and leaped from it; if he had aimed correctly, he should land directly in front of the person challenging Loki. Hopefully, he'd be protecting a person, not a file of ash.

Loki fired his weapon, a bright blue blast of energy being discharged from the scepter and flying towards its target. The Captain landed just before it hit and ducked behind his shield. The attack bounced off the vibranium and hit its original releaser; Loki's feet were blown out from under him as he smacked into the ground. Steve stood and began walking toward the god.  
"You know, the last time I was in Germany," he dropped down a step, "and saw a man standing above everyone else," he paused, slowing his walk. "We ended up disagreeing." Loki rose to his knees.  
"The soldier." He chuckled, standing. "The man out of time."  
"I'm not the one who's out of time."

The jet appeared behind the living American symbol, pointing a large machine gun at the god. "Loki, drop the weapon and stand down." Agent Romanoff's voice came through the jet's PA.

Immediately, Loki fired at the jet; the pilot swerved and it missed. The crowd began to scatter as Steve threw his shield at Loki, effectively surprising him. The American clad man ran at Loki, caught his shield from its rebound, and introduced the god's face to his gloved fist. _That was for you, Elizabeth_. Loki swung his scepter at the hero; said hero blocked the attack with his shield. The god forced the shield away from Steve's front and landed a hit to his ribs; knocking him back. Steve smashed into the brick ground with enough force to bounce and roll. He stopped himself in a spread out crouch and immediately moved to a more stable one. The emotion in his eyes as he looked at Loki could stop a human man in his tracks. Steve then hurled his shield at the green and gold clad man with more force than before. Ready for the attack, Loki smacked it down with his scepter. Steve got to his feet and ran at Loki; he swung at his face again but Loki dodged his fist. Loki side-swiped at Steve with his weapon; the blonde had to lean back to evade the scepter. Loki swung again, overhead this time, at his current enemy. The helmeted Captain pulled his body to the left and threw a punch at Loki's side, causing Loki to slam his scepter into Steve's back. The blonde flew forward and landed harshly on the brick. The god stalked toward him as Steve pulled his body up. Placing the end of his scepter at the back of his skull, Loki commanded him.  
"Kneel." Breathing heavy, Steve pushed the scepter away from his head.  
"Not today!" He shot up and jumped in the air, twisting his body to land a kick in Loki's face. The god's head whipped back, but not much more of him moved. Behind them the quinjet reappeared. Loki grabbed Steve in a headlock and threw him on the ground again.

From the PA system, _Shoot to Thrill_ began playing as an object flew from behind a tall building and around the jet. The object, being a red and gold suit of armor, turned out to be billionaire Tony Stark as Iron Man. Stark shot repulsor beams at Loki, hitting him square in the chest and sending him crashing into a set of steps. Steve stood as Stark landed on the brick, the area under the suit's feet cracking under the pressure. As he stood, Stark aimed several of the suit's weapons at Loki.  
"Make your move, Reindeer Games." Loki seemed to weigh his options as Steve joined Stark with his shield. The god raised his hands in defeat, his armor glowing before disappearing. The weapons pointed at him retreated back into the non-iron suit. "Good move."

Catching his breath, Steve greeted the man next to him. "Mr. Stark." The suit inclined the head toward the veteran.  
"Captain."

* * *

_**A/N: I'm not trying to make Steve flip-floppy, but he's kind of turning out that way. I'm trying to capture his internal struggle between the kid from Brooklyn and the Captain. I really hope I'm not ruining the character.  
Soo, tell me what you all think; reviews are always welcome.**_


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